Labor takes aim at cuts to health IT budget

Opposition leader Dean Winter is set to reveal his budget reply today, and has singled out a key piece of funding to the state’s health system his party would restore.

Shadow Treasurer Josh Willie speaks to the media at parliament Square in Hobart on Monday, June 2, 2025.

A Labor government would restore funding to improve technology in the state’s health system and free doctors and nurses from paperwork to better care for patients, Opposition leader Dean Winter will reveal in his budget reply speech.

Mr Winter will deliver Labor’s response to Treasurer Guy Barnett’s financial blueprint in the House of Assembly on Tuesday.

He said cuts to health technology spending in the budget were counter-productive.

“The Premier says his government is spending twice as much on health as when they were elected,” he says.

“The problem is health services aren’t twice as good. In fact, on almost every measure, they’re worse.”

Labor leader Dean Winter. Tasmanian during House of Assembly question time. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Mr Winter will outline to parliament Labor’s plan to free up clinical staff by reversing cuts to the health department’s technology budget.

“Perhaps the single most shortsighted, counter-productive thing in this year’s budget — and let’s be honest, there’s a lot to choose from — is the $7.2 million the Liberals have cut from funding for health modernisation technology.

“This, of course, comes after the Liberals were last year caught raiding $150m from a fund designed to help support digital upgrades – which they spent covering budget blowouts instead.”

Mr Winter says a Labor government would immediately restore the $7.2m.

“We’ll put it in an account, alongside the remaining funds the Liberals haven’t cut yet and we’ll lock the account with legislation to ensure every cent gets spent on modernising our hospitals.

“Tasmanians can never expect to bridge the gap with the mainland in health outcomes as long as we have the most technologically outdated hospitals.

“We can’t expect to deliver health services more efficiently – which we need to, given the damage the Liberals have done to the budget – when our health professions spend so much time doing paperwork instead of caring for patients.

“And we can’t expect to solve the serious – and expensive – problem of health workforce retention, when nurses have to go in on their days off to check a paper-based roster that’s stuck up on the wall.”

Josh Willie Labor member for Clark. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Premier Jeremy Rockliff. Question time in the Tasmanian house of assembly. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Shadow Treasurer Josh Willie continued his party’s assault on the budget on Monday, questioning to cost of rising debt.

“The interest payments on the Liberal legacy debt will reach $650m per year, more than $2bln across the forward estimates – and that won’t even start to pay it down.

“Both major credit rating agencies downgraded Tasmania’s credit outlook to negative following last year’s horror budget.

“This year, Premier Rockliff’s latest budget disaster has put Tasmania’s credit rating at risk – which will see Tasmanians make even higher interest payments on the Liberals’ legacy debt.”

Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the government was committed to prudent financial management.

“What the credit agencies want to see is good measures, a sensible pathway to surplus,” he said.

“Here in Tasmania, we don’t want to go into a slash and burn approach, as was done by previous governments.

“We’ve grown our economy considerably over the course of the last 10 years to a $40bln plus economy.

“That’s how you manage sustainable budgets, manage debt accordingly, and support Tasmanians in work, but also deliver those services that all Tasmanians care about, housing, health, education, community safety.”

Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff speaks to the media at parliament Square in Hobart on Monday, June 2, 2025.

Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff described last week’s budget as “shocking”.

“This week in parliament, we will be peppering Guy Barnett and Premier Rockcliff with questions about why they’ve had such warped priorities, why they’re continuing to want to fund a new stadium and why they are going to cut off flog off public assets to that.”

Originally published as Labor takes aim at cuts to health IT budget